At the age of 14, Laurie Proulx first started showing signs of juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Today, Proulx is the mother of two children, and her personal experiences with pregnancy and motherhood led her to spearhead a project with the Canadian Arthritis Patient Alliance (CAPA) creating a resource that was the first of its kind – a guide to pregnancy and parenting with arthritis, written for patients BY patients. Once Proulx’s original resource was complete, Mariah Leach from Mamas Facing Forward helped update these resources – based on experiences learned from real patients, updated data on medications, and newer recommendations for…
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Editor
Designed as a companion to your healthcare provider's advice, Mamas Facing Forward endeavors to provide resources, encouragement, and community for parents and parents-to-be living with chronic illness.
Amber and Mariah discuss how women with chronic illnesses cope with advice on medication use in pregnancy—especially in light of the confusion around acetaminophen. Mariah shares her experiences with rheumatoid arthritis and pregnancy, focusing on changes in medication safety data. They talk about the pressure, stigma, and lack of support for pregnant women, the need for nuanced guidance, and provide resources. Visit About IBD for the full transcript! Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/IBDpodsSpotify: https://bit.ly/AIBDSpotPodcast Addict: https://bit.ly/AIBDPAAll other podcast apps: https://pod.link/1228402052
Researchers from the Da Costa Lab at the McGill University Health Center are looking for new moms and dads in Canada living with autoimmune arthritis to participate in their study. Your participation would help them create resources to support parents like you through the transition to parenthood. If you have a child under the age of 13, currently live in Canada and are interested in taking their survey, see their website: https://ards-parenthood.ca/. You will be thanked for your time with a $15 gift card. Some participants will be contacted for a one-on-one interview. You would receive a $25 gift card for the interview. …
The Pregnancy and People with Multiple Chronic Health Conditions study aims to create new knowledge about perinatal outcomes and care provision in individuals with multiple chronic physical and/or mental health conditions. The. study is now recruiting participants to share their perinatal care experiences among people with multiple chronic health conditions in Ontario. If you are interested in learning more or participating in this study, please see below for more information!
I want to share my experience with blood clots during pregnancy. Though my personal story, I hope that other women can better understand the very real possibility of a blood clot during pregnancy, and perhaps even save a life. Debra Turner Bryant shares here personal experiences with blood clots during pregnancy and offers suggestions for women in similar situations. Real Stories from People Living with Blood Clots Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Sometimes kids need help understanding chronic illness and disability, as well as recognizing and processing their own feelings. We hope these topics are an ongoing discussion in your family, and we love to review children’s books that may help you along the way! The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn Emily Clemens received a copy of this book as a gift from Mamas Facing Forward. She was not compensated for this review and all opinions are her own. This book was perfect for preparing to send my daughter off to Kindergarten. It addresses separation and associated fears and provides reassurance that…
MotherToBaby, a service of the non-profit Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS), is the nation’s leading authority and most trusted source of evidence-based information on the safety of medications and other exposures during pregnancy and while breastfeeding. Whether you are TTC (trying to conceive), pregnant, or breastfeeding, the MotherToBaby website has Fact Sheets (in English and Spanish) that answer frequently asked questions about the use of medications during pregnancy and breastfeeding. You can also email an expert or chat with one live if you have additional questions. If you are taking a medication while pregnant or breastfeeding, you can also…
For many moms, it is a time-honored tradition to have this thought on a regular basis: what do you mean it’s time to feed them AGAIN?!?! Feeding tiny humans (and their parents) is an endless and time consuming task!! We asked real mamas living with chronic illnesses to share their best tips and ideas for making cooking and meal planning easier! Weekly Menus & Grocery Lists “I sit down once a week with the schedule, look at what we have planned each day, estimate how tired I might be or how much time I will have to cook, and I…
For millions of people, chronic illnesses and depression are facts of life…Many people with [chronic illness] become depressed. In fact, depression is one of the most common complications of chronic illness. It’s estimated that up to one-third of people with a serious medical condition have symptoms of depression.Dealing With Chronic Illnesses and Depression, WebMD It’s extremely common for people living with chronic illness to struggle with their mental health. Being diagnosed with a lifelong illness can cause enormous life changes, make it difficult to do things you love, and impact your self confidence. Managing a lifelong chronic illness for years…
Whether you’re having a flare of your chronic illness or you caught a bug, keeping toddlers entertained when you don’t feel well is no easy task! We asked real mamas living with chronic illnesses to share their best ideas for entertaining toddlers when you don’t feel well. Relax your screen time guilt “No shame in screen time!” – Cheryl “We are camped out in front of the TV at times, and the guilt is real in these moments, but I try to remember that we need to have that downtime so we can rest and be ready for the next…